How To Close Sales From Onsite Estimates
This guide will cover all of the seemingly small details that can affect whether you close the onsite estimate and book a pressure washing job. This might be one of the most important articles in the entire Pressure Washing HQ blog. Sales is a skill and can be improved upon like any other skill. As a pressure washing business owner, your primary responsibility is to get sales. Your ability to sell is what separates a 6 figures revenue pressure washing business owner from a 7 figures revenue pressure washing business owner. Closing a higher percentage of leads means that you need less leads in order to make more revenue. This translates to less spend on pressure washing advertising campaigns and more money on upgrading equipment.
Learn how to book more jobs while giving onsite estimates. Level up by also reading our article about how to close sales over the initial phone call here.
What You Need to Bring to an Onsite Estimate
You need an estimate sheet filled in with their name, address, what they want to be cleaned, when they contacted us, and any special notes obtained during their initial call or email. Coming prepared lets the homeowner know that you are serious about business operations…and by extension demonstrates competence to the homeowner.
Many companies use a Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet that integrates directly into their business CRM to streamline the process and appear more professional.
You also need to bring a flyer that you can leave with the homeowner. This flyer should be well-designed, include before and after photos, social proof, and contact information.
You should always be in a uniform, if you have a dedicated sales member they should always be in a clean uniform. If you are a small crew and still doing residential cleaning estimates in between jobs then you may be slightly wet or dirty. When I was at this stage of my business where I didn’t have a dedicated salesperson and I was responsible for sales, I would sometimes have to do an onsite estimate directly after a job. I would keep a spare set of my uniform in my truck to change into. For an onsite estimate for a commercial pressure washing job, you need to be in a dry and clean uniform. There is no room for error when dealing with property managers and larger pressure washing contracts.
Always arrive in a clean, wrapped vehicle. Clean exterior AND clean interior. Once again, if you have a dedicated sale person or you are out of the field completely then it makes sense to have a dedicated sales vehicle that has good mpg’s.
Where to Park Your Truck
Never park in the driveway. Studies have revealed that homeowners negatively interpret strangers parking in their driveway. Instead, park on the street in front of the house. By parking on the street, you avoid blocking in anyone while you do a walkthrough and give the estimate.
Body Language When Greeting the Homeowner
As you approach the door, do not be looking around. It signals insecurity. Look calm and relaxed with a smile on your face.
If you are wearing your sunglasses then you need to take them off. Studies have shown that people appear more trustworthy when they can see your eyes.
Ring the doorbell and take several steps back so you are a comfortable distance away.
Keep your hands at your sides or in front of you. You should be holding either a clipboard or elctronic tablet at this point.
Do not have your hands in your pocket. Studies show that hands in pockets subconsciously signals that the person might be hiding something. We want to appear as transparent and honest as possible.
Sales Strategies
A great way to get the sale while onsite is to educate the homeowner. You want to cover the cleaning process which is admittedly very straight forward. Do not over explain this. For a house wash we are applying a low concentration of SH using very low psi and then rinsing with water. It’s simple. Ideally, you are going to be cleaning the homes of doctors, lawyers, and engineers. They don’t want to hear a 20 minute explanation of how your house washing mix is perfectly diluted. They want to know that their house will be cleaned safely and look nice afterwards.
Here is the key (and what you should spend most of your time talking about).
What are all of the little things that you account for when exterior cleaning.
We make sure to rinse the windows to prevents SH and the surfactant from clouding the glass
We make sure to not let any weep holes drip dirt onto the vinyl siding when we leave
Clean soffits
We tape up doorbells, outlets, and any fixtures so water doesn’t damage the electric wiring
Wont track dirt anywhere
Pre water landscaping and delicate flowers so SH wont damage/kill them
Re-attaching garden house to hose bib when finished
When softwashing vinyl siding, not washing at an angle that gets water behind the vinyl panels
Cleaning underneath the front doormat (a nice added touch)
Putting tarp over any fish ponds
Etc, Etc, Etc
As you give a walkthrough, you should be talking about how your cleaning process accounts for all of these minor details. This conveys attention to detail, trust, and professionalism. When you talk about these little details, it signals that your business doesn’t cut corners. The homeowner would otherwise have no idea that some of these problems even exist (unless they worked with a bad pressure washing company previously).
During the Walkthrough
Speak confidently and authoritatively. You are the expert. In addition to the above section which notes how the cleaning process accounts for minor details, it is also helpful to point out the less obvious things that need to get cleaned on the house.
This can include:
soffit area
the siding on a dormer
porch columns
The small space between the downspout/gutter and the siding
Box ends, flashing, and fascia
This further conveys your attention to detail and the level of quality that your business upholds.
Do Not Trash Your Competition
If the homeowner mentions another pressure washing company, you should remain neutral. It reflects poorly on your company to trash other companies.
Social Proof
There are a number of ways to utilize social proof to position your company as a hot commodity. Some things that you can mention are:
Number of years in business
Your schedule is busy
You have worked in their neighborhood before
It is best to offhandedly mention these tidbits. You want to be subtle about this — it is easy to come off as inauthentic or salesy. The goal is to show the homeowner that other people are booking services with your business because of your reputation and the quality job that you do. Nobody wants to spend money on an unknown company. People are put at ease when they know that they are not your first customer.
Bundle Services / Service Packages
The best time to upsell other services is during the walkthrough. The worst way to present upsells to a homeowner is to go through the walkthrough for a house washing estimate, and then at the end mention you also can pressure wash their deck.
You want to mention these things as you notice them during the walkthrough. If you notice some leaves poking out in a dirty gutter, bring the homeowners attention to it. Gutter cleaning is an easy upsell because dirty gutters can get heavy and cause structural damage if the brackets supporting the gutter break.
If the homeowner is interested then they will ask what the quote would be to also clean the gutters. If they are not interested, they will let you know and you can move on.
When you walk by the back deck you can mention you also clean decks. If the deck looks like it is in good condition and doesn’t need cleaning, then simply mentioning to the homeowner that when the deck starts getting dirty, you can clean the deck in the future. There are a lot of little nuances in this process. Ultimately, you want to bring up these upsells offhandedly while getting the estimate for the service they called you for. When you bring up the upsell, give a slight pause and then contuinue speaking. Don’t stop the conversationa nd stare at them for a resplonse. Any type of pushiness will immediately put people on guard.
These upsells should come off as if you would be doing them an extra favor. When you give the homeowner an upsell, gauge their reaction. If they are curious and accepting of the upsell, that is your green light to propose other upsells. If the homeowner seems annoyed or gives pushback to the upsell, then you should not propose any other upsells. the flyer that you leave with them should include the upsells if they are inclined to choose any.
It bears repeating- do NOT pile all of the upsells together at the end of the walkthrough with the homeowner. It is overwhelming and is more likely to lead to pushback. Address each upsell naturally as you see it during the walkthrough.
Make Them Feel Special
People do business with people they like and avoid doing business with people that they don’t like. If you are a friendly person this part should come naturally. I find that an easy way to compliment someone authenticaally is to say you like something particular about their property like:
“I love the color you choose for your house”
“Your landscaping is phenomenal”
“I love working in this neighborhood” - compliments them indirectly and provides social proof
During the estimate you should try and find out if there is a deadline that they need the job done by. Then mention that you are booked up for the next X weeks but you are able to squeeze them in earlier if they need it done before a certain date. Make this seem exclusive or not something that you offer frequently.
When Leaving
Before you leave make sure to leave your flyer with them, thank them for their time, look them in their eyes and shake their hand. You also want to let the homeowner know that you will be following up with them in 2-4 days if they haven’t reached out. Why tell them this? Because you ARE going to be following up with them. It doesn’t hurt to mention this. Also, sometimes the homeowner will reply with a timeframe that they anticipate a purchasing decision will be made. This information can help guide how quickly you follow up with them.